5 Reasons to Not Live Simply

So really, we've been living simply and homestead living for a long time now and you know, it's just so complicated! There isn't anything simple about it and it seem like more work than it's worth. Here are some great reasons to not live simply.

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1. You aren't "connected" as much. I mean, no tv? Who are we kidding? How will we find out what happened to those celebs in LA?! We need to watch the news every second so we stay in the loop. Because if we aren't in the loop where would we be? Enjoying a glass of tea on the back porch watching the sunset?

2. It's just too much work!Baking from scratch? Whatever happened to picking up those nice greasy pizzas at the local take out joint? If you bake that from scratch you are going to have to make the dough yourself, maybe even make the sauce yourself, AND cut all those vegetables up yourself for the topping! And what's up with "real food"? I'm pretty sure that Hamburger Helper I served for supper last night was real...it came right out of a real box!

3. Raising animals? Sounds stinky. Cleaning out the pens, buying all that feed, collecting your own eggs. What's wrong with paying $0.99 for those white eggs from the store? Besides, the "farm fresh" look funny when you crack them open, they are so orange! And seriously, why would you want to cut up a chicken on your own? Do people not know they make packages with drumsticks, thighs, ect?

4. What's wrong with all the mainstream goodies? Don't all little girls need one of these awesome Zombie dolls? And what if your little boy doesn't have every Hot Wheels car ever made? He's going to resent you for that when he grows up because I'm sure he'd rather have those than to play outside. And we can't overlook video games. How else are we going to keep kids quiet and busy during the day?

5. And seriously, who needs to be organized? If you are a hoarder you might even get on tv! To be organized you would have to clean all the time and I don't know about you but when I clean I forget where everything is anyways. I know that my remote is always sitting on top that stack of papers!

And just for a bonus...

6. Why would anyone want to be debt free? Why would life be worth living if you can't indulge in the fanciest cars and if you don't have the biggest house on the block? Plus I'm pretty sure to be debt free you have to come up with a budget and do super boring things like balance a checkbook and pay on your credit card instead of picking up Chinese food. Where is the fun in that?

That is so funny! Sometimes I feel like this though. I don’t have animals. Between the garden, homeschooling, bread baking, cloth diapering, canning, cleaning……. I miss grabbing something through the drive through, not the food just not having to make it. I need to do more bulk cooking and that would solve a lot of the ease issues.

I love this post! I don’t have chickens or a garden but i buy eggs and veggies from a local farm. We are renting and its hard to keep cleaning up those raised beds. lol! Thank you for the post. I want a simple life and I really like to spend time outside with our kids, exploring our yard for bugs etc. LOL!! Have a great weekend.

lol! I honestly don’t know how women do it! I have a part-time job, a 2 and 3 year old, and pregnant with #3. I do my best to cook from scratch and I am definitely trying to live a more simple life. BUT it really is so hard! Even without all the distractions – tv, internet – I am just soooo tired by dinner time. The women of ‘the prairie’ were far stronger than I!

My hubby is military so we don’t get to choose where we live, but we talk all the time about being able to buy some property and raise some chickens and goats and have a much bigger garden. At this point in my life though, I don’t think I would survive it =)

I have to say while we don’t have animals (live in the city) this is totally us right now being 8 months pregnant (where cooking food makes me not want to eat it) it being 90’s and humid plus packing the house while my husband lives in another state I gave up and have been buying prepared food and just trying to not care but after a while you really start missing having an organized house and homemade food

My husband is military, and he tells everyone he knows all things that I do. Baking bread, cloth diapering, homemade detergent, homemade cleaning supplies…he really is proud of everything that I do, not only to save us money but to make it better for our family. But, the downers are eveywhere and he was told by someone he works with that I “spend too much time doing things like that when I can just go out and buy it”. Mind you this came from the mouth of someone who has no children, and MUST have every new thing that comes down the pike.
I LOVE our simple life, and if you have smelled bread from the bag after not buying it for over 6mo or smell the fragrance in detergent and it makes you feel ill you realize that everything is not always greener on the other side. GREAT POST.

I agree with this. It’s nice to have perspective, from both sides of the fence. Living between a cabin and a townhouse, my family has been able to see and enjoy both (though we do live very simply even here at the townhouse – at the least, if you compare with our neighbors, we do!)

I started laughing when I read ”Zombie Dolls”. Both of my girls have a few of them but, they used their own money they had to save for months to buy. They earn 25 cents each day they do their chores. A few years ago my husband and I decided to quit buying them toys. Other then a small birthday gift (under $10) and a few things at Christmas, they buy their own toys. They are only 7 and 5 but, they learned quick you can get more at a second hand store or at a yard sale.

Great post Merissa – and I get this – you HOMESCHOOL your kids? Do they get any socialization? But I think we’ll be seeing more people return to the traditional ways of life because with all the unrest financially and socially in the world. Families and friends need to stick together and help each other out on the road to becoming self sufficient! Blessings, Merissa! Thanks for this great post!

Great little article. My husband and I downsized considerably, during our last military transfer. Coincidently, we were relocated within 2 hours of his family’s 50+ acre homestead. This is where we’ll be during his final tour, prior to retirement. While the commute is too lengthy for us (daily) to live on the homestead full time, due to the nature of my husband’s job, we recently put a cabin out on our 10 acres. We maintain a modest townhouse, which is near his military installation. Our home(s) are both simply decorated and organized. I enjoy bike riding to run errands, cooking for the family.. We live a simple and full life whether we’re at the cabin or townhouse.

Nice! I love this post… We recently moved (in less then 72 hours hours after getting bad news about a family member) out of a large home, with TONS of space to a new state to be near my parents and ailing grandma…. we couldn’t afford a U-haul, so only what fit in our van came with us, and we moved into a two bedroom apt on my parents property… while that may not seem too bad… we have SIX kids… When I first saw what we were moving into I was in tears… I didn’t see HOW we would manage. There was NO room for things… no room for personal space…

We had a crash course in simplicity…. only what HAD to come, came with us, what didn’t didn’t. No one can understand HOW we are surviving… But somehow, we are having the time of our lives… every day is a new adventure as we have been forced to escape outside just to breathe, and go for walks, and learn how to survive in such small spaces. Everyone has had to learn to deal with being a “family” suddenly. Where we all had tons of personal space and all the things that go with it, we suddenly have none of that… and we find we are happier! It’s been amazing.

Completely on target and excellent delivery. The best part is I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue your points. Oh and yes my daughters have one too many ‘monster high’ dolls. Its interesting to read the post and think to yourself, ‘Damn, that’s me!’

After hubby being out of work for almost two years, he did get a job but it meant relocating. Since our two girls were headed to college, I chose a house ALOT smaller than the one we had before!!(Then the girls decided to stay and go to school locally) Well, suffice it to say, we had to get rid of alot of ‘stuff’ before we moved, then we took a couple more van loads of things to the thrift shop after we got here and we still have more to get rid of. But something I have learned…with less stuff has come more time! More time to sit on the back patio and sip lemonade, to build a fire in the firepit and make s’mores, to spend the day baking, to plan and put in a very nice vegetable garden…the less stuff I have, the less I have had to clean (and reaarrange!) I’m busy, yes…but usually its with things that matter.

I lived that life when my children were young. Grew my own fruits and vegies, canned everything I could get my hands on, baked bread every week, homemade noodles in my chicken noodle soup…. And I loved it. But when my youngest was starting high school I went back to work. I got caught up in the “modern life”, sold the land and moved to the city. And that’s were I’ve been for the past 13 years. Now with just a few years to retirement, I’ve decided to head back to the “simple life”. Which as we all know is not so simple. People constantly ask me why? “It sound like so much work, you could retire in 5-10 years and take it easy.” Truth is it is a lot of work, but it is work that I loved and that a miss. So at 57 I’m packing up my things, selling what I don’t need (including my house in the city) and going back to where my heart is. Back to living a “simple life”. By this time next year I hope to be there.

Kim, I’m also a “retiree,” that has gone back to the land…thought that when we moved to the mountains of NC 2 years ago, that we would just go support the MANY farmer’s markets here…couldn’t do it. Growing stuff and being self sufficient just gets in your blood. And yup, people constantly say “why do you do so much work when you can afford to go buy it?” Because it’s great to grow it; put it up and take pride in what I can do. Plus I get lots of exercise and fresh air; and moving to a different zone means I get to exercise my brain cells learning about different growing environments, bugs, plant diseases, etc.! Good luck with your retirement!!!

Nice post Cait, Great to see their are still a few people in the states who care about mother nature. It is so amazing! All the development and pollution is cancer filled profits! Simple life is the healthiest and happiest life!

I find this post to be extremely biased as well as ignorance. I’m guessing you have never really experienced what mother nature has to offer as a lifestyle as well as life lessons. Your kid would be MUCH better off without video games and the best hot wheels car. Their is no meaning in those things, sure they might play with them but its just a little toy, teaching a child discipline and what it means to be self sufficient is the best toy they will have, they will thank you when their older haha. Yes, eggs from the farm are more orange than “store bought” because they are ORGANIC, meaning the chickens didn’t get fed a bunch of hormones and antibiotics! It really is upsetting seeing how the average american could care less about nature and what it offers. If you feel a nice car and the biggest house is what life is about, i feel bad for you.

I love you web site. This article hit home we have a TV but we got rid of the cable pig and watch movies on Netflix I make all our meals from starch. I’m so excited because this I get chickens I look forward to having fresh eggs. Yes my house is organized and as for mainstream toys and latest fads I have been blessed that my daughter’s and their friends enjoy doing outdoor activities and crafts.Who wouldn’t want to be debt free, that’s our goal. Little by little we chip away at the bills working towards a more simple less stressful live. It can be done but it takes and hard work but it’s worth it and the pride you feel when you grow your own food and can it is awesome!

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